Rakuten
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Join if you shop online often and can shrug off occasional missed tracking . it's free and often pays.
Comparison
Rakuten vs ShopBack
Rakuten and ShopBack both land on Depends.
ShopBack
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Worth using if you shop online often and accept occasional tracking failures . it is free money when it works.
| Compare | Rakuten | ShopBack |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Frequent online shoppers at big chains | Frequent online shoppers |
| Who it's not for | Anyone who needs cash back to reliably track . it often doesn't | Privacy-sensitive users |
| Privacy | 2021 US breach notice on file; recent CVEs hit sibling products (Viber, Kobo, Send Anywhere), not the cash-back portal itself.⁹ | Suffered a September 2020 data breach, was fined $74,400 in 2023, and an XSS flaw was reported on an Indonesian subdomain. |
| Support quality | Multiple complaints about disputes and slow resolution. | Missing-cashback and account complaints dominate |
| Public sentiment | Longtime users report reliable payouts, but a loud minority complains about slow, missed, or disputed cash back. | Reviews are split: many long-term users earn steady cashback, while others report failed tracking, slow payouts, and trust concerns.12 |
| Biggest gotcha | Cash back can take months to pay and sometimes never tracks; the top complaint across review sites.⁴ | Share minimal personal data; platform had a 2020 breach and a 2023 fine |
Pick Rakuten when
- Frequent online shoppers at big chains
- Coupon stackers
- Patient savers okay with slow payouts
When Rakuten is not a fit
- Anyone who needs cash back to reliably track . it often doesn't
- Privacy-sensitive users wary of granting email access
- Buyers expecting instant rebates at checkout
- People unwilling to chase missing cash back with support
Pick ShopBack when
- Frequent online shoppers
- APAC deal hunters
- Coupon stackers
- Budget-conscious browsers
When ShopBack is not a fit
- Privacy-sensitive users
- Anyone expecting large or guaranteed payouts
- Impatient shoppers who won't wait for payout thresholds
Sources
- Rakuten: Coupons, Promo Codes & Cash Backrakuten.comofficial
- Get 10% Cash Back, every day, with Rakuten+rakuten.comofficial
- Rakuten (USA) Reviews . Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Rakuten.com Reviews & Complaints . ConsumerAffairsconsumeraffairs.comreview
review
- Rakuten alternatives? . Redditreddit.comreview
security
security
- 7 of the Best Cash-Back Apps . NerdWalletnerdwallet.comreview
- ShopBack Australia Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- ShopBack: Cashback & Rewards - Google Playplay.google.comreview
- Shopback Malaysia Review (I Earned Over RM6000)ringgitohringgit.comreview
- ShopBack Reviews and Complaints - PissedConsumershopback.pissedconsumer.comreview